大方廣佛華嚴經疏 40.6

40.6

Fifth is the uninterrupted succession of the three paths. First, in terms of the examination of characteristics according to the treatise, within the six contemplations it is termed the 'contemplation that gathers faults'; that is, by gathering the twelve links into the three paths, it reveals that the links of existence merely gather the faults of the cause and effect of suffering: karma and afflictions are the causes, and suffering is the effect. This also has forward and reverse orders. In the initial forward contemplation, the text contains two meanings: First, according to the three time periods, past ignorance and present craving and grasping are named afflictions. Although both are afflictions, past [affliction] is deluded about the primordial limit and is given the name 'ignorance', whereas present [affliction] pulls forth the future fruit on account of craving and grasping; according to root and branch, their hiddenness and manifestation illuminate each other. Formations and existence are karma: past karma is named 'formations', and present karma is named 'existence'. Although both are karma, the past is already determined and takes its name from its actual mark, while future karma does not yet exist and karma is able to bring it about, so its designation is established from its efficacy. The five present fruits and two future fruits are alike all suffering; the present retribution is already determined and receives its name from its actual mark, while the future arising is established from its faults. Second, according to the two time periods, the first ten belong to the same period; then afflictions are of two kinds: capable of initiating and capable of moistening. Although all afflictions are capable of both initiating and moistening, at the stage of initiating karma the power of ignorance is predominant, while in moistening karma to receive birth, the power of craving and grasping is superior, each receiving a name according to its predominance. Because there is no repeated initiating, there is only a single ignorance; because there is repeated irrigating, it is divided into craving and grasping. Karma is also of two kinds: unmoistened and moistened. Unmoistened is named 'formations', because it is the initial fabrication; moistened is named 'existence', because it is proximate to the arising of future existence. If one collectively takes the seeds of consciousness and the rest as what is moistened, then they are also subsumed under suffering; hence the Vijñaptimātratā[-siddhi] states: 'A portion of the link of existence is subsumed under karma.' Regarding the seven of suffering, five are explained in terms of seeds and two in terms of actual manifestations. The stage of seeds is difficult to know, so based on the stage of their future fruits they are individually manifested as five; the stage of fruits is easy to understand, so only two are established, all as explained before. That all three paths are said to be 'uninterrupted' means that from the three afflictions the two karmas arise, and from those two karmas the seven sufferings arise again; the seven again give rise to the three, revolving like a wheel, as extensively elucidated in Bodhisattva Śuddhamati's Pratītyasamutpāda-śāstra. Next, from 'the limits of before and after' downward is the reverse contemplation, divided into two: First is the cessation through antidotes, meaning that when one ceases the past limit's ignorance and formations and the future limit's craving, grasping, and existence, the seven sufferings do not arise. Next, from 'such three paths' downward is the cessation of their own-nature. Hence Śuddhamati says: 'In all worldly phenomena, there are only cause and effect and no person; merely from the emptiness of phenomena, empty phenomena are born in return.' Thus, the causes and effects of arising and ceasing, like two bundles of reeds leaning upon each other, cannot be established independently; thereby one knows that they are devoid of nature, and both selves are empty. Second, in terms of the contemplation of great compassion, this directly corresponds to refuting the ascetic practices regarded as causes among heterodox pursuits. That is, taking karma and afflictions as the causes of suffering, if one wishes to be liberated from suffering, one should sever karma and afflictions; conversely, engaging in ascetic practices is generating false karma, and the mind that clings to ascetic practices is itself affliction. How could such false conceptions be the cause of the joy of liberation? Third, in terms of the contemplation of the wisdom of all modes, this is the fifth, the contemplation of entering the truths; for the three paths are the truths of suffering and origination, as karma and afflictions are both origination. The Yogācāra[-bhūmi] states: 'Birth, aging, and death are suffering in the present lifetime; consciousness and the other five are suffering in the future,' because the five are explained in terms of seeds. The Vijñaptimātratā[-siddhi] states: 'All twelve are subsumed under the truth of suffering because their nature is the grasping aggregates; five are also the truth of origination because their nature is karma and afflictions.' Thus karma and afflictions pertain to both truths. In terms of their reverse contemplation, they are the truths of cessation and the path, for ceasing the conceptualizing mind is itself the path. Furthermore, the essence of the three paths is the three pure virtues of own-nature, nirvāṇa, and buddha-nature, because they are the one real truth.